1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a facsimile (fax) machine, and, more particularly, to a fax machine integrally fitted with an operating video camera, a sealed document chamber, and simultaneous remote video transmission capabilities that enable a sender of a document to the fax machine, to view, and approve or disapprove, of a fax of the document that is generated by the fax machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Financial institutions, and business and government agencies of various types have always needed to have the capability to electronically transmit documents under conditions of security and controlled receipt confirmation. The ability to accurately and securely transmit electronic signature approvals, classified documents, certified records, copies of financial instruments and funding authorizations is essential for the functioning of all major modern institutions. As communications technologies have advanced over the years, various systems and methods have been devised to support secure document transmissions and transmission receipt confirmations. From the telegraph, to the telephone, to various radio systems and their modern high capacity digital embodiments and hybrids, document reproduction under conditions of security has been accomplished by integrating the most reliable and acceptable communications technologies with the best security management practices.
A widely used method of document transmission has been the fax. As the name implies, a fax is a reproduction of the actual original document. The object of a fax is to create a remote copy that is identical in all material aspects carries the authority of the original document. The use of fax generating machines actually predates the wide spread use of the telegraph when in 1843, Alexander Bain of England devised an apparatus consisting of two pens connected to two pendulums, which in turn were joined to a wire, that was able to reproduce writing on an electrically conductive surface. In 1925, Eduouard Belin of France invented a method of using light beams and photoelectric cells that could convert light, or the absence of light, into transmittable electrical impulses. This is the basic principle upon which all modern fax machines operate. The invention of smaller and more efficient semiconductor components for electronic equipment eventually led to the creation of smaller and faster light based fax machines in the 1970s and 1980s. More recently, the fax machine has become associated with the regular transmission of documents over public and private telephone networks as a normal part of conducting daily business. Modern fax machines use bi-directional digital communications signals represented as analog audio tones to traverse the public networks. Fax transmission techniques use protocols or digital signaling methods that are compatible with modern data processing and computer systems. This makes it possible for modern computer modems (modulator/demodulators) to support data communications between computers and fax machines. The standards that govern the international interoperability of modern fax systems are set and governed by the Comite Consultatif International Telephonique et Telegraphique (CCITT) more recently known as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Group 3 protocol specifying a transmission rate at the fax of 9,600 bits per second.
Security for received documents is usually accomplished through the use of manual procedures, such as the posting of a staff member (or guard) by the fax machine when a sensitive document is expected, or the placement of the fax machine within a physically secure facility or room. Electronic security is accomplished through the use of access codes that can be programmed into the receiving buffer of some fax machines. Receipt confirmation again, is usually accomplished through the use of staff members or electronically by the generation of a Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) message reply by the fax machine itself. In the case of the electronic reply, the confirmation indicates a completed transmission only with no indication of received message legibility.
In addition to the fax method of remote document reproduction as a means for transmitting secure documents, methods of video document image processing have been proposed. As video cameras have become smaller and have gained the ability to produce higher quality images, individual documents or series of documents can be photographed and the images digitized and stored in databases, or transmitted to remote locations as needed using either the existing public telephone network or newer high speed private networks. Authoritative paper versions of these images can then be generated locally by fax or printer using the standard print devices associated with the local storage media. Data processing and network security devices and systems, such as passwords, access codes, physical key locks, intrusion alarms, network firewalls, network restrictions, and message blocking software as used for the host devices, can serve to secure the delivery of stored or transmitted image data. The image processed documents residing within protected databases requiring access and index selection procedures are inherently more secure than faxed paper documents. Receipt confirmation options are available via the particular host system's messaging capabilities. In order to provide financial institutions, and businesses and governments with the highest level of security and with absolute document receipt confirmation, a fax or image-processing device that can transfer authoritative copies of the most sensitive documents is needed. A device that allows the originator or sender of the document to positively verify that the document he sent is identical to the document received at the targeted fax machine. A number of these devices and methods have been proposed for use.
The related art is represented by the following references of interest.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,719, issued on Sep. 6, 1988 to Etsuro Endo, describes a fax system with a memory unit for storing video information read from a document that is laser scanned on the receiving side that then enables the transmitting side to confirm transmission receipt. As the transmitting side demands a recording confirmation response, the receiving side prepares its response confirming the receipt of the document. A fax master controller serves to coordinate the communications, print, and video operations between both the sending and receiving machines. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/01016201 A1, issued on Aug. 1, 2002 to Imran Sharif et al., describes a paperless fax-compatible Internet appliance that connects to the public network utilizing both data and fax protocols. Sharif et al. provides a video section including a video signal output for outputting video signals to be displayed on a video display, and a processing unit which controls the network connection section and the video section to generate video signals for displaying received fax messages on the video display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,936, issued on Feb. 11, 1997 to W. Thomas Green et al., discloses a method and an apparatus for recapturing data from scanning devices and storing the captured image data in digital form using a method that allows for fast and reliable access for viewing, printing and transmitting. The imaged data file resides on secure databases until an authorized user selects the image based on a set of logical indexes. In the case of checks, for example, this might be the account number, check number and amount. U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,812, issued on Dec. 19, 1989 to Raymond F. Dinan et al., describes a document image processing system that converts optically perceptible data, such as the name and account numbers on checks, into a video image. This video image is then compressed and transmitted to a mass storage device for later retrieval. Sensors monitor the quality of the image data in real time with provisions for generating a signal that can be used for immediately stopping the generation of an image file of unacceptable quality.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,837, issued on Jan. 30, 2001 to Thomas Cahill et al., describes a method and an apparatus for storing and retrieving images of documents (e.g., checks). The method involves the placement of a plurality of checks in an electronic imaging machine that creates digitized images of the pertinent information on the checks. This information is then transmitted to a mass storage file for later retrieval using a personal computer (PC) based workstation. U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,164, issued on Mar. 26, 2002 to John E. Jones et al., describes a document processing method whereby a full document (e.g., currency) image scanner and discriminator unit obtains a full video image of a transmitted document. The discrimination unit includes the means for authenticating the document based on criteria stored in a remote database.
Other patents describing devices or systems for transmitting and approving secure image file documents include U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0085745 A1, published on Jul. 4, 2002 to John E. Jones et al. (automated document processing system with full image scanning); U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0149644 A1, published on Oct. 17, 2002 to Rodolfo Jodra et al. (a proofing data file generator); U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,466, issued on Mar. 1, 1977 to Steven R. Hofstein (method and system for electronic storage display); U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,637, issued on Feb. 16, 1999 to Hiroyuki Nakanishi (an image communication system and apparatus, in which data stored in a memory are accessible in a convenient manner from a remote location); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,068, issued on Jul. 26, 1994 to Masamori Sakai et al. (a wire message image processing and reproducing apparatus).
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.